What
is Vote-by-Mail?
Vote-by-Mail allows voters to cast a ballot without going to a polling place. If a
registered voter has applied to vote by mail, the Elections office mails a ballot
to the registered mailing address of the voter beginning 29 days before an election.
The voter votes the ballot and returns it to the election office by mail. The voter
can also return it in person to the office or to any polling place on Election Day
to be counted. Any
voter can apply to vote by mail
permanently in every election.

Nothing. These are
two terms to describe the same type of ballot. The Vote-by-Mail ballot is a more
accurate term, because voters no longer need an excuse to vote by mail. Any registered
eligible voter may request
a Vote-by-Mail ballot.

What
are the benefits of voting by mail?
Voting by mail is easy and convenient. The ballot arrives in the mail. You can vote
in the privacy of your home and take your time to mark your ballot and mail it back.
If you can't easily get to your polling place on Election Day, you never have to miss
voting in an election because, with a Vote-by-Mail ballot,
voting comes to you.

You may mail,
fax or submit your request online anytime before the 29th day before the election.
Actual mailing of Vote-by-Mail ballots cannot begin until the 29th day before an election.
Completed applications must be received by mail,
fax, online or in person on or before the 7th day prior to the election. Applications
received after the 7th day before an election will not be processed unless you appear
in person in the Elections Office.

Applications should
have your printed name, your residence address in
ShastaCounty
, the address to which the ballot is to be mailed (if different than your residence
address) the name and date of the election and your signature.

If a precinct has
fewer than 250 registered voters on the 88th day before an election, that precinct
can be declared by the elections official to be a "Mail Ballot Precinct". All
registered voters in these precincts will receive a ballot in the mail.

A Vote-by-Mail ballot will automatically be sent to you for all future elections.
This includes all local elections as well as statewide elections.

Once you become a
Permanent Vote-by-Mail voter, you will retain that status as long as you vote in all statewide elections.
Failure to vote in four consecutive statewide elections will cancel the
permanent Vote-by-Mail Voter status, but not your voter registration. If the
permanent Vote-by-Mail Voter status is canceled, you can re-apply for that status
again.

If you move, you
must reregister and apply for permanent status again.

If you have any questions
regarding voting by Vote-by-Mail ballot, telephone (530) 225-5730.

Draw a single line
to connect the head and tail of the arrow that points to your choice.

Vote for no more
than the authorized number of candidates.

Be sure to complete
both sides of the ballot and all voting cards if there are more than one.

Any identifiable
marks may void your ballot. Your ballot is no longer considered secret if there are
such marks such as: initials, names or, signatures. The only exceptions are the votes
for write-in candidates.

Place your ballot
cards(s) in the return envelope provided.

Sign on the return
envelope.

Your ballot will
not be counted if there is no signature on the return envelope.

When
are ballots mailed to voters?
By law, the first day ballots can be mailed to voters is 29 days before an election.
Ballots are mailed continuously from that date until 7 days before Election Day.

Vote-by-Mail
ballots cannot be forwarded.
If you no longer live at your registered address, your ballot will be returned as
undeliverable. If you have questions about voting by mail or about your voter registration,
please call our office at (530) 225-5730.You
can also check your voter
registration online.

Vote-by-Mail ballots
returned by mail must be received by the Elections Department on or before 8 p.m.
on election night. Vote-by-Mail ballots received after 8:00 p.m. election night will
not be counted. Postmarks do not count. You
may also return your ballot to any polling site in
ShastaCounty
on Election Day between 7a.m. and 8p.m.

What
if my ballot doesn't come?
Check your ballot
status online or call our office to find out when it was mailed. If you
have not received your ballot within a week after it was mailed, we will check your
registration, track your ballot and send you a replacement ballot if necessary.

You may drop your
ballot off at the Elections Department Ballot Drop-Box at
1643 Market Street
in
Redding
any time before Election. Office
hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for ballots not placed in the Ballot Drop-Box.

On Election Day,
you may return your ballot to the Elections Department or any polling site in
ShastaCounty
between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

If
I lost the Vote-by-Mail ballot sent to me, can I get another one?Yes. Call the Elections
Department at (530)225-5730 and request that a second ballot be sent to you or complete
the 2nd issue form available
online. You must sign and return the 2nd Issue form sent to you stating
that you have lost or did not receive your Vote-by-Mail ballot.Upon
receipt of the 2nd Issue form, a 2nd ballot will be sent to
you.

You may come into
the Elections Department to sign the form and get another ballot.

You may also go to
your regular polling site and vote a provisional ballot on Election Day.

If you state on your
application that the mail is slow or difficult in the country that you are in and
you need to receive the Vote-by-Mail ballot earlier than 29 days before an election,
you may receive a special Vote-by-Mail ballot that can be sent out as early as 60
days prior to an election.

If you are going
to be out of the country for any length of time, you should register
to vote on the FVAP (Federal Voting Assistance Program) website.

Yes, but you must
bring your Vote-by-Mail ballot with you and give it to the poll worker with the envelope
before voting at the polling site.The
ballot at the polling site will be the same type as the one you received in the mail.

If you are unable
to surrender your Vote-by-Mail ballot, you may still cast a provisional
ballot at your polling site which will be counted after it can be determined
that you have not also voted a Vote-by-Mail ballot.

In general, Vote-by-Mail
Ballots are counted in the same manner as regular ballots cast at a polling site.
Once it is determined that the signature on the Vote-by-Mail Ballot return envelope
matches that of the voter on his or her voter registration card, the voter is given
credit for voting. The ballot and the envelope are separated. The ballot is then intermingled
anonymously with other ballots in order to preserve the voter's right to secrecy.

Vote-by-Mail ballots
are the first reported in the election night returns. These,
however, are not a complete total and reflect only those Vote-by-Mail ballots returned priorto
Election Day. Those ballots received prior to Election Day can be "processed" (opened
and prepared for counting) as early as 11 days prior to the election.

A substantial number
of Vote-by-Mail ballots are returned at the polls on Election Day (these ballots must
also have their signatures verified). These ballots are likely to be reported in the
vote totals later during the post election process.

How
does the Elections Office make sure voters don't vote more than once?
When a voter applies for a Vote-by-Mail ballot, it is recorded in the voter’s
individual record. When the list of voters for the polls is printed, Vote-by-Mail
voters are indicated by the words, "Vote-by-Mail" next to their names. The office
gives an updated list of voters voting by mail to all poll workers on the weekend
before the election. If a voter with the words, "Vote-by-Mail" next to his/her name
goes to the polls, the poll worker will ask for the Vote-by-Mail ballot. If the voter
doesn't have it, he/she must vote a provisional ballot.

What
if I forget to sign my return envelope?
If we get your ballot at least two weeks before the election and you have forgotten
to sign the return envelope, we will mail it back to you and ask you to sign and return
it.